My English Final

Hank Sanders

Holly Walsh

Teal English 8

May 24

Running For President

A first-person account By Hank Sanders

It continues to surprise me that every four years ten or so humans work their tails off to compete for the hardest in the world. A President receives nothing but blame regardless of what you accomplish (unless you look like Kennedy in which case even Bay of Pigs raises approval ratings). But for whatever reason, here I am running alongside fifteen other people for the chance to sit in the oval office. Come with me and I will show you what it is like to run for President.

Rubber Chicken Circuit-Appeal to the media

If you that that a Presidential nominee is shaking hands and having lunch with ordinary citizens because he wants people to like him, you have been duped. Anyone with the kind of time to hangout with poor people is doing it for the media attention. I apologize for being brash but that is the unspoken secret. The media has immense power these days. In order to be successful, in order for anyone to hear your name, you must appeal to the media. So when running for President you must kiss babies, shake hands, eat fried food so the media can see that you are a normal human being.

Conversation between me and a business owner in front of cameras and mics.

What I say	What the media hears
Hey man. How you doing?	Hey man. How you doing?
I’m doing fine. I’m Hank. I wanna be your President in 2016.	I’m doing fine. I’m Hank. I wanna be your President in 2016.
Well it’s great to meet you Rick. I was wondering if you and I could sit down for a minute and chat ya know? Nothing big. Can we do that?	This meeting was definetly previously set up but it looks impromptu.
C’mon man of course I love chicken and fries. I actually had a small chicken farm when I was ten or so. They all died thought. The coyotes go to them.	Hank can’t say he doesn’t want chicken. Kudos to him for owning chickens though. Or maybe that’s bullshit.
Yeah Rick. Thank you. See I wanted to ask you a couple questions about what you would want out of me as your president.	He wants someone to tell him what to do because he just realized that being president is more than the motorcade and in home chef.
Uh huh.	He’s listening.
Uh huh	He’s a good listener.
Uh huh.	Say something.
I totally agree with you.	Finally.
You know Rick, I hear you loud and clear. In fact you can have my word that as President I will cut back the red tape that a small business owner must overcome to terminate employees unable to do their job. Too often a business can be ensnared in a lawsuit from a former employee claiming unlawful termination. It is truly detrimental to society.	He remembered his name. It’s so cute to see someone make their first unkeepable promise. Aww, Rick actually believes him. That was the first time in ten years I have ever heard the word ‘ensnared.’ Who talks like that?
However, Rick I don’t see gun control remaining unaltered for much longer. Gay rights went from being very controversial to something that is now see as being a no brainer. People are starting to see some of the safety hazards of owning guns. Over the next ten or so years, guns will get less and less accessible. But I promise you Rick, I will not take your guns from you. They may, but I won’t. You have my word.	Hank does an incredible job of keeping Rick happy but also telling him his way of life is soon to go down the toilet. Oh and by the way Hank. You have no moral compass. But that isn't surprising.
And boy I would love to talk to you for hours about my views on Immigration but we actually gotta head out. You know how it is.	Way to dodge a hot topic!
It has been awesome talking to you Rick. Here’s my business card. Email me if you have ANY questions. I would love to talk further.	Get me out of here. That email is all spam. No one checks it. Like no one.
Thank you all for coming out today. That’s a wrap!	Let’s get out of this stuffy diner. Our score for Hank: 6/10

Meeting with Fortune 500 Company-Appeal to the money

In today’s world, running a campaign is incredibly expensive. Four years ago, Barack Obama spent a combined amount of one point seven billion dollars on their campaigns. That is around thirty dollars a second for the entirety of the race. Most of this money comes from large donors. These donors are people who have a lot of money lying around and wish to alter the tides of history by investing in political leaders. In fact, in this election the Koch brothers are offering up eight hundred and eighty nine million dollars to the person who they feel will be best for the nation. The way you receive this kind of money is by doing two things: a) tell them what they wish to hear and butter them up.

What I say	What the money hears
Hello ladies and gentlemen. My name is Hank Sanders and I am looking to be your next President.	Hello ladies and gentlemen. My name is Hank Sanders and I am looking to be your next President.
I am here to tell you a little bit about myself and my goals for this nation then I will take some time for questions.	How much do you want this couple mill?
I grew up in household full of business people. I am well immersed in the way business works and I know and understand that business is the backbone of this nation.	Preach.
When I become president I will make sure that big companies like this fine corporation that we are gathered at today will be able to receive many incentives and tax breaks that are so vital to keep these companies running.	That doesn’t make sense but he seems like he knows what he’s talking about. And I hate taxes.
You will also see this nation handing out major incentives for keeping jobs and imports on American soil. The most powerful and important impact that a company like this can leave on America are the jobs that can be created. Let’s keep them in America, alright?	Sounds great! (If we can just lower minimum wage. No one wants to buy a t-shirt for fifty bucks).
As your President you can count on my to be the voice of reason for companies and I promise to stand by and protect your rights.	That’s cute.
Lets keep working-in America!	So original. Not.
I'm Hank Sanders. I will now take some questions.	Let’s destroy this guy. Call on the rich white guy who has his hand up. Our score: 7/10

The Debate-Appeal to the people

For our final key in the quest to run a successful political campaign is to nail the debate. The debate is the way in which many voters (especially swing voters) decide who to vote for. The secret to a debate is to say whatever you have to in order to win votes-even if it is the opposite to what you believe in or what you've previously stated.

What I say	What the voters hears
Well, first I would like to thank you Jim for moderating, I would like to thank my opponents, and I  would like to thank the university for their hospitality.	Well, first I would like to thank you Jim for moderating, I would like to thank my opponents, and I  would like to thank the university for their hospitality.
Now, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: getting people to work is my number one priority.	A month ago you when you spoke at that millitary base your number one priority was to withdraw all boots from the ground. Oh well, we’ll let that slide.
As president I will make sure that the health and safety of our employees will be at the forefront of our interests.	Sorry Rick, looks like the red tape will stay.
I also know that in order to increase our middle class, we must pressure big businesses to pay employees liveable wage or be heavily find.	Aww. But how about that Fortune 500 company?
As president you can know that all of your needs will be at the forefront of my duties at all times.	Good luck
Also I am totally going to dodge that question about immigration.	He didn’t actually say that
Thank you.	Our score: 7/10

As you can see, running for President is an incredibly difficult thing to be good at. It is as though you are walking a tightrope of gossamer thread. What you say to one group must be completely reversed to another group of people. There is no such thing as doing the right thing, there is only doing to thing everyone wants you to do. People who are President become President by passing eighteen months of competition and turning out to have the least moral compass out of all of their competitors.

A hidden camera might just kill you. Rookie move, Romney.

_____________________________

Hank Sanders

I support this message.

My Book Thief Final (revised)

English 8

May 4, 2015

The Book Thief, film and book

A comparative essay

Ever since the first movie was made, there has been great interest in turning well liked books into movies. Despite the thousands of movies that are based off of books, few truly do their predecessors justice. The Book Thief, written by award winning author Markus Zusak, was recently turned into a major motion picture. As is often the issue with these media transformations, the book and movie turn out to have some stark differences. The movie is different from the book because it leaves out key themes, fails to fully develop characters, and paints characters in a kinder light.

In Markus Zusak’s book, the reader must read with great depth in order to take in all of Zusak’s themes and symbols such as his use of color, Death’s interest in humans, and the grip of the past. One of the most prevalent themes that the reader is introduced to very early on in the book is the use of color. The first words of the book are “First the colors.” (page 3) Death describes seeing colors when he picks up human souls. Colors are used to resemble a person’s character. Color is also incredibly important because it teaches readers about Hans Hubermann’s soul. When the main character Liesel Meminger meets her foster father (Hans Hubermann) for the first time, she “observed the strangeness of her foster father’s eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver. Like soft silver, melting.” (page 34) Indeed, he proved to be a kind man.  In contrast, the movie hardly discusses color in the kind of thematic way that Zusak uses it. In the movie, Hans Hubermann’s eyes are not silver at all and therefore missing a major aspect in a main character's persona. Another huge theme that is missed in the movie is that idea that Death is genuinely interested in human activity. For example Death says, “Often I wonder what page she [Liesel] was up to when I walked down Himmel Street in the dripping rain, five nights later,” (page 528). In fact, Death is so interested in human life that he takes Liesel's book from her when Liesel leaves it in her bombed out home. The film completely disregards this theme by completely cutting out the scene where Death takes Liesel's book. The final but perhaps most important theme left out in the movie is the theme that humans have the tendency to hold onto the past. This is evidenced by the long lasting spitting battles between Rosa Hubermann and her neighbor as well as Max and Liesel's nightmares of their past. “The girl: Tell me. What you see when you dream like that? The Jew:...I see myself turning around, waving goodbye...The girl: [I see] a train, and my brother,” (page 220). Not only does this theme stress an important idea about human nature but it also greatly improves Liesel and Max’s friendship. The movie includes neither the spitting war or the dreams. Several of The Book Thief's numerous themes and symbols are lost in the transfer between book and film. This makes the film less intriguing and lacking in depth.

Another key part of any story are the characters. One of Zusak’s finest attributes is the way he is able to relate the reader to his characters and make his characters intriguing. The three characters who fall victim to this the most are Rudy, Ilsa, and Death. For many readers, The Book Thief is a tale that leaves readers sobbing when Rudy dies. He is the kind of kid who would jump into a freezing river to save his friend's book. In the film, Rudy strikes viewers as friendly but not charming, sassy but not sarcastic, trustworthy but not a loyal friend. The movie also adds a scene where Rudy says “I love you” to Liesel right  before he dies. This is hollywood's attempt at a fairytale ending. Secondly, there is the Governor’s wife. We start off by hating Ilsa for firing Liesel and Rosa from Rosa’s job as a linen cleaner. Then there is the time where we like her for letting Liesel read in her library. And finally, readers begin to love Ilsa for all she does for Liesel-most notable of which is the gift of a notebook that Liesel uses to write The Book Thief. This journey that we take with Ilsa is critical to the story. It so positively impacts readers as well as Liesel. The movie depicts Ilsa as a much younger woman, instead of the frail, grandmother figure in the book. In the movie, there is much less bonding around Ilsa’s lost son. The movie doesn’t portray the lovable Ilsa that Markus cultivates beautifully. Markus’ Ilsa is the kind of woman who would say, “I thought if you’re not going to read any more of my books, you might like to write one instead….And please...don’t punish yourself like you said you would. Don’t be like me, Liesel,” (page 523-4). Lastly, there is the narrator. For starters, Death plays a much bigger of a role in the book. Besides a couple of key excerpts that are included, the movie is completely Death-free. With Death playing a much smaller role, there are many fewer opportunities to be captivated by Death’s charm. In the movie, Death sounds like an audio book while in the book Death sounds just as human as all the other characters. “A human doesn't have a heart like mine. The Human heart is a line, whereas my own is a circle...Humans, if nothing else, have the good sense to die,” (page 491). In this one excerpt alone, Death exhibits sympathy, admiration of the human race, and even goes as far as to compare himself with humans. This version of Death is absent in the film. A story is told through the eyes of the characters involved. A major difference between the movie and book versions of The Book Thief is the way the characters impact us.

The final and perhaps most major idea that is completely missed in the transfer between book to movie is the duality of humans. The duality of human life is something is portrayed so beautifully throughout Markus Zusak’s story because most of the characters that we see have their finest moments and their greatest faults. In an attempt to tell the ‘all is good in the world’ fairytale story that hollywood loves, the film misses many of the characters duality. We start with Rosa. Upon first meeting, Rosa Hubermann is a curmudgeon. She beats Liesel. She curses at all who are around her. She creates feuds with her neighbors that last years. She holds grudges on employers who fire her. None of this is present in the movie. Other than a couple ‘dirty pigs’ and a few ‘saukrels’ here and there, Rosa is always a fairly kind person. Those who only see the movie might miss what Rosa lacks. Having already read the book, Rosa is seen on a much deeper character because of her flaws. In the book, readers see Rosa go from beating Liesel for coming home with dirt on her clothes to a loving woman who gives everything to feed her family and even Max. Death sums Rosa up beautifully: “I’m sure she would have called me a Saukerl...I discovered that she called everyone that. Especially the ones she loved...Make no mistake, the woman had a heart. She had a bigger one than people think. There was a lot in it, stored up, high in miles of hidden shelving…She was a Jew feeder without a question in the world,” (page 532). Rosa’s husband received some touching up as well. Hans is not a perfect man-in the book. He smokes. He yells. He drinks. His son doesn’t speak to him. But Hollywood did away with all of this evil and painted a man with nothing but a bright and shining light. Movie watchers know Hans as a wonderful role model. Readers know Hans as a man with “a light soul” (page 531) and a man who is not willing to join the Nazi party even if it means saving his relationship with his son (page 104-5). Finally, we come to Ilsa. Although Ilsa is a great role model and leader for Liesel, the movie cuts out the ties Ilsa has with the Nazi party. The idea of having someone as magnanimous as Ilsa supporting the near death of Hans Hubermann and Alex Steiner adds a level of complexity to a character that otherwise is close to perfect. Ilsa is seen in the book as a leader of the Nazi movement-being the Mayor’s wife-henceforth adding to the duality of the human existence. “On the breast pocket of the robe sat an embroidered swastika. Propaganda even reached the bathroom. They watched. Liesel looked at Ilsa Hermann’s breast and raised her arm. ‘Heil Hitler’.” (page 460) The book thief is such a special book because of the comments that it makes on human nature. The movie misses these ideas, making the story have less impact.

The book and the movie portrayals of The Book Thief are in some ways so similar but in other ways completely different entities. They have many of the same characters and much of the same plot. However, the movie misses a lot of what makes the book so special. The movie misses key themes, leaves out the special attributes of characters, and disregards a major message of Zusak’s story. Although the movie is entertaining, by nature turning 550 pages of art into 90 minutes, crucial content will be missed. The important thing for readers and viewers to notice is that the movie and the book are two separate entities. One of these entities took 19 million dollars to make.

Point-by-Point Method
Intro	Introduction of general topic: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Specific topic: There’s a movie and book version. Thesis= The movie is different from the book because it leaves out key themes, fails to fully develop characters, and paints characters in a kinder light.
Body P #1	Topic sentence  In Markus Zusak’s book, the reader must read with great depth in order to take in all of Zusak’s themes and symbols. It seems that the creators of the motion picture did not read in depth. Topic 1 example 1: Absence of color (including eyes). Topic 1 example 2: Death doesn’t take book from Liesel. This leaves out the theme that death is interested in humans. Topic 1 example 3: People want to hold onto the past (no nightmares, spitting wars). Summarizing line: The Book Thief's numerous themes and symbols seem to be lost in the transfer between book and film. Although it might seem like a minor issue, given that the takeaway of films often does not involve theme or symbol but rather more basic items such as characters and scenes-but the lack of important themes present in the book makes the film less intriguing and sometimes boring.
Body P #2	Topic sentence Another key part of a story are the characters. One of Zusak’s finest attributes is the way he is able to relate the reader to his characters and make his characters intriguing. The Book Thief is tale that leaves readers sobbing when Rudy dies not simply because Rudy is a child but because over five hundred and fifty pages the reader has come to love Rudy. The movie does not have the same effect. Another noticeable difference between the movie and the book version of Great Expectations is the narration. Topic 2 example 1 Narration= rudy isnt as compelling Topic 2 example 2 ilsa isnt likeable Topic 2 example 3 Death isn't as present, lacks some of the great stories he tells. Summarizing line: A story is told through the eyes of the characters involved. A major difference between movie and book version of The Book Thief is the way the characters impact us.
Body P #3	Topic sentence One of the major ideas that is completely missed in the transfer between book to movie is the duality of humans. The duality of human life is something is portrayed so beautifully throughout Markus Zusak’s story because most of the characters that we see have their finest moments and their greatest faults. In an attempt to tell the ‘all is good in the world’ fairytale story that hollywood loves, the film misses many of the characters duality Topic 3 example 1 Rosa never beats, is seen as stern but influential mother, doesn't curse Topic 3 example 2 Hans: doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, doesn't have a son w whom he has bad relationship Topic 3 example 3 Ilsa gives books, no reference to her wearing swastika or her involvement w nazis Summarizing line: The book thief is such a special book because of the comments that it makes on human nature. The movie misses these ideas, leaving much less of an impact on the viewer.
Conclusion	Restates the thesis and leaves the reader with something new to consider. The book and the movie portrayals of The Book Thief are in some ways so similar but in other ways completely different things. They have many of the same characters and much of the same plot. However, the movie misses a lot of what makes the book so special. The movie misses key themes, leaves out the special attributes of characters, and disregards a major message of Zusak’s story. Although the movie is entertaining, by nature turning 550 pages of art into 90 minutes, crucial content will be missed. The important thing for readers to see is that the movie and the book are two separate entities. One of these entities took 19 million dollars to make.

Best Paragraph

Hank Sanders

David Ellenberg

April 20

Pink 8

Describe three justifications used by the dominant white culture for removing native peoples.

All throughout history white people have dominated over other cultures. They have dominated different kinds of people anywhere from the Asians to the Mexicans to the Native Americans. To this day whites take advantage of many cultures. The only thing that changes with years is the reasons. Back when the English were dealing with the Native American ‘savages’, Ron Takaki tells us of three main reasons that the English used to validate the way they were treating the tribal people. First there is the difference in wealth. The English felt that since they had a superior army and superior resources, they had a right to do what they wanted with it. Second, it was the idea of trying to be fair. For example, at the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the English felt as though the Native Americans shied away from a completely fair and just offer. Thirdly, there is this age old idea of a superior breed of people. The English felt because they were white and because they believed in God that not only was it their right to this land but it was also their duty to make sure that this land was theirs. These three notions are the reasons why the Native American struggle is so real.

Irish in Politcs